Tension-regulating means for printing-presses.



w. s. MORSE. TENSION RBGULA TING MEANS FOR PRINTING PRESSES.

v APPLIIGATION FILED MAR. 5, 1912.

1,103,1 53. Patented July 14, 1914,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W.-S. MORSE.

TENSION REGULATING MEANS FOR PRINTING PRE$SES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5, 1912.

LJLQSJLESD Patented July 14,1914.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

n. is" H 4% lg fi I w L U I 45 42 TL 1 F1 r +fwez1/ 9w- W I 74 H0766 I Z he %wqya- 72 Z W m W. S. MORSE.

TENSION REGULATING MEANS FOR PRINTING PRESSES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.5,1912.

1, 1 3, 1 53 Patented July 14, 1914.

N 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3. Z5 iw? ran STATES ATE N @FFWQ WILIJIS S. MORSE, OFPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

TENSION -REGULATING MEANS FOR PRINTING-PRESSES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIS S. MORSE, a citizen of the United States, residingin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Tension-Regulating Means for Printing-Presses, of which the following is a specification.

One object of my invention is to provide a novel combination of apparatus for automatically regulating the tension on a paper web asit is delivered to. a printing press, by regulating the retarding force exerted on the roll of paper from which said web is fed; the construction being such as to maintain the tension of the web substantially constant regardless of the diameter of the paper supply roll and of the other causes which at the present time result in an uneven delivery of the paper through the press or even the breakage of the web.

Another object of the invention is to provide tension regulating means of the above noted general type which shall primarily be relatively simple and substantial in construction, and at the same time relatively sensitive as to its operation; the arrange ment of parts being such as to permit of convenient application to a printing press without requiring material alteration of the same.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tension regulating device of the above well as on an upper deck of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan on the line aa Flg. 1; Flgs. 3 and 4 are respectively a front elevation and a plan, partly in horizontal section, of the electric motor and certain of the apparatus immediately associated therewith, employed as part of my invention; Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the reversing switch preferably employed as a part of my invention; Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan, illus- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 5, 1912. Serial No. 681,781.

Patented July 1141,1914.

trating the detail construction of the brake; Fig. 7 is an enlarged side elevation illustrating the detail construction-of the preferred form of limit switch, and Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic representation of the electrical apparatus employed as part of my invention.

In the above drawings 1 represents the frame of a printing press ofthe type commonly employed for newspaper work, and while I have shown this as equipped with two sets of tension regulating apparatus for operation on the paper supply rolls of an upper as well as the lower deck, it is obvious that one or more than two sets of such apparatus may be employed without departing from my invention. The lower roll X is mounted on a spindle 2, removably carried in suitable bearings on the frame of the machine and having keyed or otherwise fixed to one end a grooved friction wheel 3. Two brake shoes 4 and 5 are operative on opposite portions of this wheel, and the first of these has fulcrumed to it a lever 6, the

second having similarly fulcrumed to it a lever 7.

A pair of threaded sleeves 8 and 9 are respectively pivoted to the two levers 6 and 7, and an oppositely threaded screw 10 engages both of the sleeves, being provided with a hand-wheel 11, whereby the sleeves and hence the levers, may be drawn toward each other or moved apart when desired. The

second end of the lever 6 is connected by a.

link 12 to a rod 13, and a similar link 14 is slotted at its extremity for the reception of a pin 15, carried by the lever 7. The end of this lever adjacent the pin is extended as indicated at 16 and is designed to be engaged by an arm of a lever 17 fulcrumed to the.

frai'ne of the machine, this lever having a second arm connected by a link 19 to an arm 20. This latter arm is mounted on an oscillatory spindle 21 carried in bearings on the frame and having fixed to it a second arm 22, connected through a link 23, a lever 24 and a link 25 to one end of a screw 26.

This latter, shown in Fig. 3, passes through a cross head 27 slidable upon guides 28 carried by suitable brackets mounted on a plate or panel 29, which also serves to support a I pair of thrust. bearings 30 and 31. Between these latter is mounted the hub of a beveled gear wheel 32, with which meshes a pinion 33 fixed to the armature shaft of a motor 34; it being noted that one face of the plate or disk constituting the wheel 32 is fiat and instance on oneof the guide bars 28 and extend ng over the upper and relatively flat face of the bevel gear 32. To this arm ispivoted a horizontally extending arm 36 having at its outer end a vertical opening in which is mounted a stem 37, carrying at its lower end a brake-shoe 38, in such position as to engage the upper face of the gear 32; there being a spring 39 confined between the arm 36 and the brake-shoe, whereby the latter is at all times forced toward said gear:

As shown in Fig. 6, the arm 36 is provided with a stop 18 placed to be capable of engaging the arm at either extremity of the path of movement of the former, so that the brake shoe is free to swing through an arc of about 180 degrees, in engagement with the bevel gear 32, with the result that the said gear may turn in one of two directions through an arc of about 90 degrees,

' without having any substantial resistance offered by the brake to its movement.

The cross-head 27 carries an arm 40, on whose free end is mounted a roller 41 designed to engage either of two switch plates 42 and 43 forming part of the limit switch. The construction of these latter is clearly illustrated in Fig. 7 which shows the detail construction of the upper switch. This consists of a pair of collars 44, 45, on the first of which is pivotally mounted the plate or bar 42, which is of such length as to cooperate with a contact formed by a suitably formed part of the collar 45.' A spring 47 is so mounted as to at all times tend to hold the bar or blade 42 in contact with said latter collar. Similarly the switch plate 43 is hinged to a collar 44 and is removably held in engagementwith a second collar 45 by a spring 47.

The collars 44 and 45 are adjustably mounted on two terminal structures 48 and '49 carried by a suitable plate 52 of insulal ing material and provided with suitable binding posts for the attachment of elcctrical conductors.

The collars 44 and 45 are likewise adjustably mounted on two bars 50 and 51 also carried on the plate 52 and having suitable binding posts to which are connected certain electrical conductors hereafter noted; the arrangement of parts being such that the various collars may be fixed at any desired points on their respective bars so that their switch plates 42 and 43 will be engaged and their clrcuitsbroken when the arm 40 is moved to either of two predetermined positions. The paper web passing from the roll X is carried around a spring supported roller 55, and thence under a second roller 56, from which it passes over a roller to the parts of the press in which it is operated on. This last roller is rotatably mounted in bearings provided at the ends of a pair of arms 58, fixed to a shaft 59, to which are such thatthe roller 57 may be forced.

against the paper web to give it any desired tension by adjusting said collar on the rod.

The arm 60 is connected through a link 68 to the long arm of a lever 69 forming the operating member of the motor reversing switch which is pivoted to a suitable stud, mounted on a plate 70 of insulating material inclosed within a casing 7 0. This lever has a pair of relatively short arms 71 and 72, whose outer ends are preferably curved.concentrically with its fulcrum or pivot, and are respectively designed to be capable of engaging contact springs 73 and 74 mounted in suitable positions upon the plate 70. The arrangement of parts is such that when the lever arm 69 is in its mid or neutral position, both of the arms 71 and 72 are disengaged from the spring contacts, although but a relatively short distance, such as a thirty-second to a sixteenth of an inch away from the same, so that a small predetermined movement of the long arm 69 from its mid position will bring one of its short arms into electrical engagement with the adjacent spring contact.

In Fig. 8 l have illustrated the electrical connections of the motor 34. and from this figure it will be seen that the armature 75 has one terminal directly connected to one of the current supply mains, while its second terminal is connected to one ofthe spring contacts 74 of the reversing switch, as well as to one terminal of a field winding 76. A portion of this winding is mounted on one pole piece 77 of the motor, and a second and equal portion thereof on a second pole piece .78.- A second but oppositely wound winding 79 is also provided, and this likewise is wound in two sections, respectively placed on thepole pieces 77 and 78, so that in the event of both of the said windings being simultaneously excited by the same current, they neutralize each other. In order'tosecure this result the second end of the winding 76 is connected to one end of the winding 79, whose second the second. Such an arrangment is em ployed because the load on the motor 1s much lesswhen thefriction on the grooved wheel 3 is being removed than when it is gagement with its adjacent spring contact for such a length of time as would cause the motor to operate the screw 26 until this had moved too far in either direction through the hub of the gear wheel, the roller of the arm 40 would engage one or the other of the switch plates 42 or 43 and. by moving them away from their contacts 45 or 45*, break the current supply of the motor, thereby bringing this to rest before any part of the device could be injured. -Any excessive movement. of the roll 57 is of course prevented by the springs 63'and 66'. WVith the above arrangement of parts the variation of the tension of the paper web Y is automotically restricted to exceedingly narrow limits, so that it is practically constant, particularly since any serious variation in the tension is at once compensated for by the above described automatic device. Not only is said device extremely sensitlve, but 1t 1S7 likewise rapid in its actlon, rcspondlng 1nstantaneously to any alteration in the tensionof the web.

As shown in Fig. 1, a second and substantially similar apparatus is applied to the roll and web of the lower deck of the press and this is designed to operate as above described, it being immaterial how many of such sets are employed as each is designed to independently regulate the tension of its particular Web.

I claim 1. In a tension regulating device for printing'pres'ses, the combination of a pivotally mounted member'operative on the paper web; braking mechanism operative on the paper supply roll; a normally idle motor connected to said mechanism for varying the retarding force exerted thereby; control ling mechanism for the motor governed by' said pivotally mounted member, said mechanism comprising a reversing switch automatically controlled by said pivotally mounted member and a retarding device for th motor and its associated mechanism including'means whereby said device is prevented from being operative until after the motor has moved to a predetermined extent.

2. In a tension regulating device for printing presses, the combination of a pivotally mounted member operative on the paper Web; braking mechanism operative on the paper supply roll; a normally idle motor connected to said mechanism for varying ,fOr the motor and its associated mechanism;

said apparatus including a device for exerting a greater retarding force when the motor moves in one direction than when it :moves in the opposite direction.

3. Inatension regulating device for printing presses, the combination of a movable member operative on the paper Web; braking mechanism operative on the paper supply roll; a motor connected to said mechanism for varying the retarding force exerted thereby; controlling mechanism for the motor governed by said movable member; with retarding apparatus for the motor and itsassociated mechanism; the same including a device for exerting a greater retarding force when the motor moves in one direction than when it moves in the opposite direction; said means being arranged to be inoperative until the motor has moved to a predetermined extent. 1

4. In atension regulating device for printing presses, the combination of braking mechanism operative on the paper supply roll; a motor connected to said mechanism for varying the retarding force exerted thereby; controlling means for the motor governed by the paper web; means for connecting the motor with said braking mechanism including a rotary disk; and a device for retarding the rotation ofthe disk including a movable supporting structure; a brake shoe carried thereby in engagement with the disk and free to move with the supporting structure toward and from the center of the disk.

5. Inatension regulating device for printing presses, the combination of braking mechanism operative on the paper supply roll; a motor connected to said mechanlsm for varying the retarding force exerted thereby; means governed by the paper web for controlling the motor; means including a gear for connecting the motor with the braking mechanism; and a device for braking the motor, the same including a brake shoe frictionally engaging said gear.

6. In a tension regulating device for printing presses, the combination of a movable member operative on the paper web; braking mechanism operative on the paper supply roll; a motor connected to said mechanism for varying the retarding force exerted thereby; controlling means for the motor governed by the movable member; a retarding device operative on the motor and ineluding means whereby the retarding force exerted is greater when the motor operates rontroller, said connections responding to movements of said member and including a. member occupying a neutral position relative to the current-controller as long as the sheet is under proper working tension,- and movable in one of two directions away from neutral in response to sheet-tension changes;

anechanism. including a normally idle electric-motor in circuit with the current-controller and made active by and quickly responding to the movement of the secondnamed member from its neutral position; and connections between the motor and the roll which supplies the sheet for controlling the revolution of said roll.

8. The combination in a. tension regulator for printing presses of a pivoted member having its free'end supported on the paper sheet and made sensitive to variations in the tension of said sheet, two springs operative on the pivoted member to oppose movement of the free end thereof from a. predetermined position, one of said springs being mounted to counterbalance the weight of the member and the other being connected to said member to cause it to exert greater or less tension on the paper web; a current-controller; connections between said pivoted member and the current-controller, said connections responding to movements of said member and including a member occupying a neutral position relative to the current-controller as long as the sheet is under proper working tension, and movable in one of two directions away from neutral in response to sheet tension changes; mechanism including a normally idle electric motor in circuit with the current-controller and made active by and quickly responding to the movement of the second-named member from its neutral position; and connections between the motor and the roll which supplies the sheet for controlling the revolution of said roll.

9. In a tension regulating device for a printing press, the combination of a movable member operative on the paper Web; braking mechanism operative on the paper supply roll; a normally idle electric motor connected to said mechanism for varying the re; tarding force exerted thereby; controlling mechanism for the motor governed by said movable member, and an automatically acting devicefor opening-the circuit of chemotor after it has-operated the braking mechanism to-a predetermined extent ineither di rectiont 1 0: In atension regulating device for a printing press, thwcombination of a movable member operative on th'e paper web; braking 4 mechanism operative on the paper supply roll a motor for varying theretarding force exerted by said mechanism; controlling mechanism: for-the-moton governed by said movable member; means for connecting the motor with the braking mechanism; the same including ascrew; a cross head opera-= tive: thereon"; and two switches in circuit with the motor placed to be respectively opened by said cross-head after: in has-been moved a pre-determined distance in either direction.

11. In a tension regulator for a rinting press or the like, the combination 0 a webroll shaft, braking mechanism for retarding or permitting the acceleration of said shaft, driving mechanism for operating said braking mechanism to vary the retarding force exerted thereby, controlling-means for the driving mechanism and governed by variations in the tension of the web, and retarding means for the driving mechanism.

12. In a tension regulator for a printing press or the like, the combination of a webroll shaft, braking mechanism for retarding or permitting'the acceleration of said shaft, driving mechanism for operating said braking mechanism to vary the retarding force exerted thereby, controlling means for the driving mechanism and governedby variations in the tension of the web, and a device for retarding the driving mechanism including means whereby said device is prevented from being operative until afterthe driving mechanismhas operated to a pre-' determined extent.

13. In a tension regulator for a printing press or the like,'the combination of a webroll shaft, braking mechanism for retarding or permitting the acceleration of said shaft, driving mechanism for actuating said braking mechanism to vary the retarding force exerted thereby, controlling means for said driving mechanism, a member movable in response to variations in'the tension of the web, and arranged to cause the operation of said controlling means when the tension of the web varies above or below normal, and automatic means for preventing the operation of the braking mechanism by said driving mechanism after the latter has actuated the braking mechanismrto a predetermined extent in either direction.

14. In a tension regulator for a printing press or the like, the combination of a web roll shaft, braking mechanism for retarding or permitting the acceleration of said shaft,

driving mechanism for actuating said braking mechanism to vary the retarding force exerted thereby, controlling means for said driving mechanism, and governed by variations in the tension of the web above or be lownormal or working tension, and means for preventing the operation of the braking mechanism by the driving mechanism after the latter has actuated the braking mechanism to a predetermined extent.

15. In a tension regulator for a printing press or the like, the combination of a webroll shaft, braking mechanism for retarding or permitting the acceleration of said shaft, a normally idle and energized electric driving mechanism for operating said braking varies above or below normal or workingtension. I

,Invtestimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIS S. MORSE.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM E.- BRADLEY, Jos. H. KLEIN.- 

